Interesting, but as we found out in the Black Confederate Count, CSA black privates were conscripts to tote stuff other than rifles.
BorderRuffian May 29, 2014 @ 4:18
“The 10th Alabama Regiment was the best in the army. This thought with all the regiments made the Southern army the best the world ever saw. In our regiment we had judges from the bench, lawyers of high rank from their offices, merchants of wealth from stores, farmers of large plantations, and numerous negroes who served through the war as privates.”
-William W. Draper (served as Captain and Adjutant of the 10th Alabama Infantry)
Confederate Veteran, Volume 15 (1907), p.487
There were no blacks enlisted in the 10th Alabama. So what does Mr. Draper mean?
Perhaps Andy Hall can explain it for us…
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Kevin Levin May 29, 2014 @ 4:31
This is a wonderful source. Now follow up and find the military records to corroborate the claim.
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Andy May 29, 2014 @ 5:57
That’s a really intriguing quote, BR/Battalion. I’m curious to know more about the men he’s talking about, too. You’ll let us know what you find, won’t you?
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Forester May 29, 2014 @ 8:02
Without additional context, that quote is too vague to mean anything. In the 1800s, the word “as” was commonly used for comparisons. “Served as Privates” could be a lazy, pseudo-poetic way of saying “served LIKE privates.” It would be consistent with how he describes “judges from the bench” and “merchants of wealth,” instead of simply saying judges and merchants. Without any other quotes or evidence to provide context, he just may be invoking hyperbolic language to emphasize how useful their slaves were.